


What a match, I'm half doomed and you're semi-sweet

by barbvin



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty wears overalls, F/M, FP is everyone's emotional dad, Spanking, everyone is bi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 21:01:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbvin/pseuds/barbvin
Summary: Betty moves back to Riverdale after being gone for years, which shakes everyone up a little bit, but messes with Sweet Pea's head in an unexpected way.Especially when FP sets them up on a blind date.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OpportunisticHag](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpportunisticHag/gifts).



Everybody knew that if they needed Sweet Pea, the Whyte Wyrm was the place to find him.

It had become a habit before it became a job, but getting paid for being there was obviously an advantage. Serving a drink or two - or fifty - a night didn’t bother him, especially when customers knew him and were generous with the tips. He wasn’t a fan of getting bossed around by Veronica, but like every bad thing in his life, he had eventually gotten used to it.

After all, she was family.

It wasn’t something he had ever imagined. In his darkest moments, which stretched over a large percentage of his life, he didn’t think he would make it to 23 years old.

Somewhere in between almost dropping out of high school during senior year because it didn’t feel worth it and deciding he should save up money so _maybe_ he could get into some college one day, a shockingly natural thing had happened: he had built himself a support system.

He was very aware it wasn’t the most solid, or the most stable. It wasn’t fail proof. In fact, it had failed more times than he could count.

And, granted, he had no idea what a real family was supposed to be like, how the dynamics should work, what the boundaries were. Not from personal experience at least. He did get to see parents picking up their kids from school, taking them to Pop’s for milkshakes, organizing play dates with other children. Not Sweet Pea, none of the kids wanted to play with him.

But it felt stupid to dwell on the past when he had managed to build something good. Not perfect, certainly not ideal, but good enough for him. It was good enough that people cared about him.

FP would not let one weekend go by without having them all over for dinner at least once. He would beat down Sweet Pea’s door if he had to, and it wasn’t like he had any other choice because texting wasn’t something the old man ever figured out. He would pick a fancy dish every time, and every time he struggled to figure it out. Either he failed completely - in which case Jughead would have the time of his life with a thousand jokes about how terrible it was _while still eating it_ \- or it would turn out shockingly good, and Veronica would shower him in compliments and take leftovers home with her. Both outcomes seemed to make FP happy.

Jughead was an odd one. It was something Sweet Pea had to accept. Just like his dad, he would show up unannounced at his trailer if they hadn’t seen each other for a day or two; he would buy him groceries and leave them there for him on rough week; he would _accidentally_ forget books at his place and then causally mention how good they were. Sweet Pea didn’t want visitors, or charity, and he definitely wasn’t interested in reading. But Jughead made his presence known, and once it became clear he wasn’t leaving, it became less and less annoying, until he didn’t mind at all.

Veronica was the materialization of everything he hated. She would never visit without presents and always offer to pay for _everything_. She would ask, smile, and do it so quickly he never even had time to refuse. But as soon as she bought the Wyrm, she made sure to give jobs to everyone close to her, because that was Veronica. She was selfless to the point where it became stupidly dangerous, but that made it impossible to dislike her. Sweet Pea hated dumb people but he never seemed to hate her.

Riverdale wasn’t a good town, the Southside even less so. It was kill or be killed, quite literally.

Selfless people weren’t easy to come by, yet Sweet Pea had somehow managed to befriend three of them.

“Sweet Pea!” Veronica’s high-pitched voice could only indicate he was in trouble. “Your shift has been over for an hour. You either join us for a drink or leave.”

She was yelling from their usual table and it was a disappointment for Sweet Pea, who thought he was being sneaky.

“No need to yell, boss,” FP complained to the girl, followed by a soft laugh while his beer bottle made its way to his mouth.

Some days were easier than others. Some of them even felt natural. it was the right thing, the place where he belonged. Others, he struggled to make sense of the situation, he couldn’t tell he really wasn’t by himself anymore.

So he looked at the table.

FP was sipping on his beer way too slowly - he had started doing that after the last time he had gotten drunk and passed out in that exact seat. He was mostly looking around, observing. He liked to check everyone was okay. Every once in a while he would look across the table and smile.

Veronica’s fingers were wrapped around the back of Jughead’s neck and a big grin was plastered on her face. The other hand was holding a drink she would sip in-between whispers. Jughead turned to face her and planted a kiss on her cheek before they both devolved into giggles.

He had managed to get something great if these people cared about him.

A few audible gasps forced him out of his own thoughts and into panic mode. The Wyrm was supposed to be their safe place but it was known to be quite a problematic location.

But when Sweet Pea turned around, the sight was anything but scary. It took him a couple seconds to adjust, too many years had gone by and too many odd rumors had made their way around town. He had proof some of them were fake right there: she hadn’t dyed her hair pink, she hadn’t lost an arm, she hadn’t gotten terrible plastic surgery, and she definitely hadn’t died in a fire.

“Betty Cooper, as I live and breathe!”

Veronica jumped up from her seat and quickly made her way to her friend. They wrapped around each other in a hug that seemed painfully tight and the crying was obvious by the time they both started sniffing. Jughead didn’t take too long to join, putting his arms around both of them. They painted a pretty picture.

FP got his own hug, when Veronica let him, and made sure to put a beer in the blonde’s hand as he let her free so she could be dragged to the table by her friend.

And then it was his turn. It was a little awkward considering they didn’t know each other that much, but he put on the nicest smile he could manage. After all, he couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be back home for the first time in years, so he decided a little hug would be polite, even if it wasn’t his style. Plus, Veronica would be mad at him later if he didn’t act as friendly as possible.

Because out of all of them, Veronica was the one who still talked about Betty the most. It could either be subtle like, ‘Betty loves that shampoo brand’ or ‘Betty would be writing an article about that’. But sometimes it was blatant - she would sometimes get upset during their weekend dinners to the point where Jughead would have to take her home.

It was never completely clear to Sweet Pea why they didn’t keep in touch, why she didn’t just call her, why she didn’t visit. And he never dared to ask, he didn’t wanna be the one who made Veronica cry.

She didn’t seem upset then, though, as she held the blonde’s hand and dragged her to the table.

Sweet Pea saw it as an opportunity to stay behind for a bit, not feeling in the mood for a big reunion. He ordered whiskey from his replacement and sat at the bar, praying that FP wouldn’t snitch on him when they crossed stares.

He never knew Betty Cooper all that much. Yes, she used to hang out with the Serpents a lot. Sweet Pea himself had saved her ass once or twice, but it was just following FP’s or Jughead’s orders. He wasn’t sure they had ever even had a conversation.

However, he had spent enough time around the girl to notice some things.

He remembered the high ponytails and pink cardigans, and he couldn’t imagine anyone wouldn’t. After all, that was all she used to wear. And she definitely pulled it off. It wasn’t something that he was into, it didn’t exactly catch his attention, but he had to admit Betty was consistent.

And yet this looked like an entirely different girl. Her hair was down for starters, but although it was unusual, it had happened before. But perhaps the most shocking thing was that she was dressed in black from head to toe. That was something he had never seen before.

Maybe he was overthinking it, though.

FP had accused him of being like that more than once. He was too used to hanging around the fringes and not being the center of attention, but the truth was he was happy like that. Sure, maybe it caused him to seem distant, observing everyone to a point where it might be unhealthy, where he felt like an outsider, but sometimes he needed to have some time to himself.

But he wasn’t imagining it, Betty Cooper seemed off, upset. Not the same girl who had left years ago. And it still bothered him as he walked home later that night, using her as a distraction so he could get away.

 

 

“You left suddenly yesterday,” FP pointed out as they ran into each other in the Wyrm again.

Sweet Pea immediately looked around for an angry Veronica because that was usually what followed, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“The kids are at Pop’s. Jug told me you weren’t replying to his texts and I told him to call you, but he made up some dumb excuse. Apparently calling people isn’t allowed anymore. Anyway, I’m supposed to tell you to go over there,” he instructed before settling down.

“Think I’m gonna pass.”

It was all he had to say but he could see _the speech_ coming. He was very familiar with it, yet he could never learn how to avoid it.

Because FP cared. He hadn’t always been like that, sure, but he cared now.

“Come on, Jug said they were waiting for you. They’re all over there, and you’re gonna stay here alone?”

“Well, _you’re_ here,” Sweet Pea pointed out. Though he didn’t mean anything by it, it would surely cause a reaction.

“Do you wanna be like me? Do you want to be a fifty year old man sitting here by himself on a Friday night because he has nowhere else to go?”

It was rough. FP wasn’t known for being soft or subtle, and when he had opinions, he rarely kept them in. It still made Sweet Pea roll his eyes, because he did like to play up his lonely old man image.

“You can’t shit on me for not going out to be the third wheel, while you sit around here all night waiting for Alice to show up.” Sweet Pea pulled out the big guns immediately, because he wasn’t in the mood to take it. “You know where she lives, just go.”

“Boy, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Sweet Pea did feel a bit of guilt for that, but FP should’ve known he couldn’t come at him like that and expect him to be nice. And anyway, he was absolutely in the right, it seemed ridiculous for the old Serpent to try and help him with socializing when all _he_ did was sit around waiting for someone who would never show her face there.

He did think that maybe apologizing was an option, but he was already home and taking out the anger on his punching bag.

 

 

“Jug told me you were all going to Veronica’s tonight.”

Sweet Pea walked over when he noticed Betty sitting alone at the Wyrm.

It wasn’t the first time he had seen her there, who knew how many years ago. Seeing her in the Whyte Wyrm originally had definitely been alarming. She used to stick out like a sore thumb, never looked like she belonged there. All pastel colors and bright blonde hair, it was clear she wasn’t one of their own. But she tried to make up for it by acting like she did belong, showing everyone that she was comfortable there, no matter how things looked to everyone else.

But when Sweet Pea saw her alone in that table, all those years later, he almost couldn’t tell. The dark clothes making her blend in with the crowd, the lack of a smile making her seem like any other serpent in that place. He could swear even her hair was darker, a dirtier shade of blonde still, but it seemed to make a difference.

“Yes, _we_ were all supposed to be there, but you bailed on us like the other night and I’m not doing that again,” she snapped at him.

That piqued his interest, so he took a seat next to her.

“I hadn’t been a third wheel in so long and honestly I had forgotten how much it fucking sucks,” she explained with a small smile.

“Now you know how the last two years of my life have been,” he joked back, and it worked, she gave him a short laugh.

“So, how did that happen?” she asked, catching him by surprise.

After a couple days of Veronica and Betty being friends again, no one would even remember she had been gone for three years. Still, he couldn’t imagine Veronica not telling her all about it, every single detail of everything that went down.

Apparently she hadn’t.

“Pretty suddenly,” he explained. “Well, it did take a couple months for them to talk about it, but Jughead was in love with her from day one. He’s been chasing her around ever since you left, basically.”

There was some shift in Betty’s expression that made him curious. Whatever he said had caused a visible change in her face, eyebrows slightly more furrowed and a definitely frown for a second, before she turned it into a smile that looked way too forced.

“I guess it’s good no one had time to miss me,” she blurted out with a laugh.

It was dark and sad, definitely something Sweet Pea would say. Bitter, resentful, and cynical; all things he didn’t associate with Betty Cooper.

Maybe not back then, but she seemed to have changed.

“Whatever, it’s fine. I left so it’s fair that they became so close with her. I should be glad that at least it’s Veronica of all people,” she continued through his silence.

So Betty was jealous. It explained a lot.

 

 

“Why did I have to dress nice to come to the Wyrm?” Sweet Pea asked, annoyed.

It had been aggravating enough that FP showed up at his door unannounced and demanded that he put his best clothes on. Without any explanation, he had been dragged out of his trailer and somewhere FP hadn’t disclosed.

Except it was the same place they were at every night.

“No, you’re just dropping me off here, I needed a ride,” the old man admitted unashamed. “You’re gonna go to the Twilight Drive-In now. You have a date”

“Is that a joke?”

“Not at all, you have to be there by eight. I told her you’d meet her next to the concession stand,” FP explained, and Sweet Pea wanted to bang his head against a wall. “Just do it, please. I don’t want to see you be old and alone like me”

“I’ll go if you shut up,” Sweet Pea conceded and had to watch FP smirk at his victory. “How will I know who it is?”

“She told me she’d be wearing a blue jacket.”

He did think multiple times about giving up and heading home while he was on the way there. Ultimately, he decided to entertain FP’s idea, because maybe if it went horribly wrong, he wouldn’t try again.

It didn’t take too long until he spotted the blue facing away from him. He was glad he had showed up, she didn’t look bad from behind and maybe at least he could get a fun night out of it. Her ass caught his attention as he made his way over, and he made a mental note to thank FP later.

“Hi! What are you doing here?” Betty asked as she turned around and saw him.

The voice caused all his blood to rush to his brain, or maybe his cheeks, because he went completely red on the spot. Sure, he was never much of a talker, but he was left truly speechless. He thought about immediately calling FP to yell at him, or just turning around and running away.

Before he could do any of those, he could see Betty’s chest going red too, as she was obviously connecting the dots and realizing what was going on.

“I’m gonna murder that old fuck,” he blurted out, furious.

It surprisingly amused her. It might’ve been just a nervous laugh, but it helped diffuse the tension.

“I guess we could just watch the movie, since we don’t have any other plans anyway,” she offered nicely.

Maybe FP had chosen _10 Things I Hate About You_ on purpose, but they would never know. Still, they had a good time imagining the Serpent watching cheesy romantic comedies and making fun of him. People shushed them a couple times when Betty’s laugh got too loud, which he found more endearing than he should.

He suggested they get milkshakes after the movie was over, feeling bad about wasting the girl’s night. The booth at Pop’s felt more intimate and the smiles she kept showing him made him feel all the more guilt.

“I’m sorry, I honestly have no idea what he was thinking. I guess he just likes to annoy me,” Sweet Pea commented as they sat down.

 “It’s fine, I promise. I’ll take any opportunity to not be at home. Not that this was just anything, I had fun,” she rambled awkwardly.

“We can hang out at the Wyrm whenever you need, or my trailer. I’m usually with FP but I’m sure he doesn’t mind. That’s what friends are for,” he tried to reassure her.

“Thank you. That’s not gonna cut it anymore though, I really need to get my own place,” she complained, her eyebrows furrowed showing she was genuinely upset.

“Still that bad? I thought she was better.”

“She is!” she quickly let out, almost defensive. “She is better. Still, I think she needs her own place and I need mine. There’s stuff she needs to try and I feel like she’s not doing it because I’m there.”

“You mean FP?”

“You know about that?” she asked surprised but quickly settled down. “Of course you do. Yes. I’m pretty sure he snuck in last night. It feels so stupid but I can’t confront her about it because I know she’ll just deny it and freak out.”

Sweet Pea couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of them sneaking around like teenagers. But if FP wasn’t ready to talk about it, then obviously Alice would be even more secretive.

“I’ll take you home tonight and check if FP is there before you get in,” he joked and got a giggle from the blonde that warmed his heart in the exact way he usually tried to avoid.

 

 

“Heard you were a gentleman last night,” Veronica spoke softly as he walked by the bar.

Sweet Pea stopped dead in his tracks and took a deep breath, trying to prepare for whatever was about to happen, which considering it was Veronica, could be really anything.

He took a couple steps back and reached the stool next to them. Veronica was sitting on Jughead’s lap as usual, and he was surprised they weren’t too busy making out to notice him, which was frequently the case. Her hands were still playing with his hair while she gave Sweet Pea a menacing look.

“Betty said she had fun,” Jughead said, trying to make it easier for everyone, including himself.

“Well, she could’ve had _more_ fun,” Veronica added, and her boyfriend rolled his eyes. “What? I’m sorry I want to look out for my friend. And I’m sorry, but how dare you walk her to her door and not offer a kiss?”

“Ron, I think that’s his choice too. He’s allowed to not be into her like that,” he explained while Veronica seemed outraged.

“That’s not it.” It slipped out of his mouth too quickly to stop it, and all of a sudden he could tell he was red again. “It was stupid, FP had set us up without knowing, it was dumb. I felt bad about wasting her time but she was really nice about it.”

“Doesn’t matter what FP did, you were on a date,” Veronica argued, still sounding angry.

“What else did you expect? We saw a movie, I paid for her milkshake and drove her home. How is that not good enough for you?” Sweet Pea fought back.

“She should’ve spent the night at your place!”

“Ron!” Jughead jumped to his friend’s defense.

“Oh, come on. She wore her best bra and I know you could see it through her shirt. And she spent the whole time laughing at your jokes, which considering I know you well, they were bad and probably not worth laughing at. I know Betty plays the good girl part a lot but I think she made pretty clear what she wanted,” Veronica ranted as she stood up, apparently mad at her boyfriend too.

“We’re friends and we had a good time. Maybe if you spent some more time with her you’d know what she thinks,” Sweet Pea snapped at her before he left to get ready for his shift.

Then he felt guilty.

While he was serving drinks he thought maybe he took it too far. Veronica treasured her friendship with Betty more than anything, and even though it had been rough for both of them lately, to imply that she was a bad friend was gonna hurt her for sure.

And if there was one thing he had learned with time, it was that it wasn’t worth it to hurt friends like that just so he could feel comfortable with his own bad choices.

Although it hadn’t been like that, it wasn’t a bad choice, he had done everything he was supposed to do. Yet for some reason, what Veronica said made him get incredibly defensive.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly when he saw her on his way out, before he could regret it. “For what I said.”

“Look, it’s fine. I was out of line,” she replied while taking a seat at their usual booth.

He sat down with her, he thought he owed her that much. Veronica quickly got him a beer and gave him a smile. He knew he was gonna be there for a while.

“You said that’s not it though,” she started talking and he looked at her confused. “Jughead said maybe you weren’t into her, and you said that’s not it.”

“Well, I wasn’t the one who asked her out, you know, so I feel like it’s unfair for you to expect me to suddenly be all about it.”

“But are you into her?” Veronica abruptly asked the question, trying to get to the point.

“She didn’t know she was going out with me. It was FP, he set us up without us knowing–”

“That’s not what I asked, is it?” she interrupted with a smile, seemingly enjoying the sight of the boy panicking in front of her.

“Don’t let her pressure you into saying something you don’t wanna say!” Jughead joked, jumping into the booth with them.

“I –” Sweet Pea started, but paused to think about the consequences what he was going to say might have, but in the end he was fucked either way because he was talking to Veronica Lodge. “So, what if I’m into her?”

The brunette’s face was immediately showing a smug smirk as she looked at her boyfriend, who laughed softly in return. And it only took Sweet Pea about two seconds to regret the entire conversation, as her eyes wandered back to him, inspecting every movement he made. 

“Then you can ask her on a second date,” Veronica proposed, still staring at him and not blinking once.

“We had a good time, but I don’t think that’s something she wants. I think that was enough, she’s good.” He tried to dismiss the idea and proceeded trying to finish his beer as quickly as possible.

“Who wouldn’t want that?” she asked, earning a justified gasp from her boyfriend. “Oh, so I can’t say that he’s hot, but you’ve made out with him and that’s fine?”

“Veronica, that was once, and we were drunk,” Jughead defended quickly.

“No, you weren’t,” Sweet Pea clarified, offended. “And it happened twice, you asshole.”

“Whatever,” Jughead muttered as his girlfriend laughed by his side. “So, when is that second date happening?”

“You’re supposed to be on my side.” The complaint was pointless and he just got a shrug back. “Never, probably. It would be a waste of time.”

“How?” Veronica asked a question she knew he couldn’t answer. “Just ask, she’ll say yes and you’ll handle it from there,”

“Can you handle it from there?” Jughead inquired teasingly. “Do you want us to walk you through it?”

If they were standing he would fix the situation with a soft punch to the ribs, which usually made Jughead complain for about half an hour and forget whatever he was talking about. But they were sitting down and there wasn’t any chance for him to do that. He felt vulnerable, and it was something he wasn’t used to, even if it was a joke.

No. He wasn’t sure how to handle a second date with Betty Cooper. He had never been on a second date at all, and he _would_ be very thankful if someone could walk him through it.

He would never admit that.

But later in bed he would think about Betty, without even realizing what he was doing. Because of all people in Riverdale, she wasn’t really that bad. If Sweet Pea was gonna go on a second date with anyone, it should probably be her.

What was he thinking? He would be lucky if she even considered it.

 

 

“I thought we could hang out again this weekend,” he blurted out after Betty walked into the Wyrm and he had cornered her away from everyone.

“Yes, sure. Lunch at Pop’s?” She asked innocently, seemingly unaware of what was going on, although she smiled at his strange behavior.

“I was thinking more like, dinner at my place,” he said, trying to come across relaxed, even though his heart was racing and his palms were sweating.

“Oh,” Betty let out, while a new, different smirk appeared on her face. “Should I bring something?”

Sweet Pea obviously said no, even though he had no idea what he would make for dinner. He thought maybe he could order something. Not that he didn’t want to cook for her, but it was something he didn’t usually do, so trying it out then didn’t seem like a good idea.

There was something that finally calmed him down. Betty looked up at him before turning away when their conversation was over, and as she said a casual goodbye, her fingertips grazed his forearm. Sweet Pea let all the air out of his lungs at once, and tried to get into work as quickly as possible, hoping his blush would go away soon enough.

He would have to ask FP for a simple recipe he could cook.

 

 

“Is there a party we were not invited to?” Veronica asked, walking unannounced into FP’s trailer with her boyfriend behind her.

“No, I just came over to ask something,” Sweet Pea quickly replied, trying to hide everything on the counter behind him and  struggling because the older man wouldn’t move.

“Are you in the mood for your favorite snack? We made too much so I’m glad you’re here,” FP offered as the brunette walked over. 

“Grilled cheese!” Veronica seemed to jump to take her place at the table, waiting to be served. “Wait, but why so much?”

“Well, it took a couple of tries for Sweet Pea to get it right, but I think he actually–”

“What the hell? Why are you cooking?” She was shocked.

The silence stretched for what felt like hours while Jughead got two plates and walked to the table, placing one in front of his girlfriend first. FP remained quiet, realizing he had fucked up and he shouldn’t talk anymore for once, all from a small glance at Sweet Pea’s face. All that gave away what was happening to Veronica, who took a first bite from her sandwich and changed her face into a smile.

“Second date is happening then, nice,” Jughead managed to get out while chewing, half his plate empty already.

“What?” FP was suddenly alarmed, as a thousand things seemed to go through his head. “This is for a date? Who is it? Oh no, did I do it? Is it Betty?”

“So where are you two lovebirds going?” Veronica asked,  ignoring FP’s panic entirely.

“We’re having dinner at my place tomorrow,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“You’re making grilled cheese for her for dinner?” Her face was looking more and more furious as the question came out.

“What’s wrong with it?” FP butted in. “You don’t seem to hate them. It was two in the morning the other day when you begged me to make you one.”

“Yes. They are great after sex snacks.”

“Oh, okay. Let’s not talk about that with my father, you know,” Jughead tried to shut down the conversation, pushing away his plate and resting his arms on the table.

“So, unless you’re having sex as soon as she walks into that door, and making the food later, there’s no way I’m allowing that,” she finished, ignoring her boyfriend.

“See? And this is why no one is telling you these things,” Sweet Pea fought back.

“That’s mean, but I’ll let it slide this time,” she offered in a high and mighty tone. “These are only allowed after having sex, not before. So, you’ll have to figure that out”

“Well, that’s not only up to me, is it?” He disagreed.

“Oh, so we’re already at that point?” FP asked, finally taking a seat on the table too.

“We’re _not_ ,” Sweet Pea clarified.

“You totally are,” Veronica added, dismissing anything else. “I’m telling you. Last time she didn’t know it was you, tomorrow she’s going to show up in overalls, and you’ll know right away, trust me.”

“But most importantly, make sure she feels comfortable, and –” FP started delivering a speech but was interrupted.

“Weren’t these only allowed after sex?” Sweet Pea asked, gesturing toward the sandwich in Veronica’s hand suspiciously.

A moment of silence happened again as she pointedly took another bite, causing her boyfriend to hide his face in his folded arms. FP laughed hysterically, like he always did when his son was embarrassed at her hand, and thankfully he was too distracted to focus on Sweet Pea again.


	2. Chapter 2

“The place looks nice. You have a room and everything,” Betty joked with a smile as she inspected his trailer.

She had showed up ten minutes later than what they had agreed on, and it had been the worst ten minutes of his life as he walked around with nothing to do and too much on his mind. The knock on the door made him jump, and he took a couple of seconds to fix his shirt before opening.

“I like it,” he commented absently, following her around as she walked through the small space.

His mind was racing just because of a simple image - Betty wearing a pink leather jacket, walking into his home. He thought she had never looked better, and it felt ridiculous to think she had done her hair so pretty just to have dinner with him.

“You’re living by yourself?” she asked, taking her jacket off to get settled in.

“Yeah, have been for a while.”

He watched as the jacket came off, sliding down her arms, and the small movement carried his eyes down, to notice her shorts, and her long legs. Suddenly he was reminded of Veronica and the overalls. Sure, he had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Betty’s clothes definitely weren’t Over All. Not just that, but there were straps going over her shoulders, supporting the shorts. It didn’t look like she planned to get her clothes off any time soon.

It was fine, he kept repeating  to himself. They were friends and they could sit and talk while they had some dinner.

That was the most important thing; he felt like they could sit and talk for hours. She made herself comfortable on the couch after noticing that he had placed some snacks on the coffee table.

“Whoa, so adult,” she teased him with a small giggle.

“Yeah, you know, some of us had to get jobs and work Monday through Friday to live,” he quickly shot back while taking the spot next to her.

“My mom did offer me a spot at The Register,” she explained and quickly added, “I’m not taking it. I’m not gonna be part of her bullshit.”

“So then what are you gonna do to live? Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine feeding you but I can’t afford whatever fancy clothes you wear.”

“These? I’ve had these overalls for like, a couple years at least, definitely not fancy. And the jacket was a gift, you know that. Freelance work doesn’t get me fancy clothes, not when I’m trying to save to move out.”

His mind wandered for a second while she talked. She was wearing the overalls, apparently. Veronica was right.

Sweet Pea grabbed the two beers he had set out and handed one to her, their fingers brushing on top of the cold glass before he quickly pulled away.

The plan had changed too many times, too quickly, and he was overwhelmed.

“Well, first Jug and Veronica, and now you. If everyone is moving, maybe I will too,” he joked, but quickly realized she had no idea what he was talking about and sighed with frustration. “They haven’t told you yet. Right. I fucked up.”

“You mean they are moving in together?” she asked, seeming more curious than anything else.

“Yeah. They just found a place right outside of Sunnyside. You can’t say anything, they haven’t told FP yet.”

“I won’t,” she reassured him before sipping on her beer again.

He took a second to watch her face, trying to find any trace of anything she wanted to say but didn’t. He figured Betty had been hiding her emotions for a while, she had enough practice, he wasn’t going to be the one who suddenly could understand everything.

“What about you, Sweets?” she asked out of nowhere. “What are your plans?”

“I’m good here,” he answered but she rolled her eyes. “I am! I have more than I ever thought I would, my job pays well enough, and I have nice friends.”

“That’s nice,” Betty replied in a tone that maybe could’ve been condescending, but it wasn’t.

“You’d want more, and that’s okay too,” he added, trying to get the truth out of her.

“I do. I do want more, so I went out there and got it. I ended up back here anyway but that’s not the point. I think you can do more, and you want to do more. I don’t buy it.”

Betty smiled at him for a brief moment, as if she could finally understand everything, as if she had completely figured him out. It made him feel weak, in ways he couldn’t even describe.

“There’s some money saved, for emergencies,” he started trying to dismiss her, then realized it was futile. “But I guess if I don’t have an emergency, it could go somewhere else.”

“You’d love going to college.”

He laughed at her, at how sure she was that she was right. And she was. She was definitely too much for him to handle.

“Let me get you another one,” he offered pointing at her empty beer, and running away from the conversation.

His kitchen felt almost like a safe space, out of Betty’s reach, where she could apparently read his mind.

That feeling was quickly gone when he realized she had followed him, and was leaning against the counter right next to him. After taking a sip from the new beer, she put it down, and hid her hands inside the pockets of her shorts while taking a little walk around the small room.

“This is a date, right?” she asked, and he couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be her making a move, or if she genuinely didn’t know.

However, she was facing the other way, maybe on purpose, maybe not, and those shorts were destroying the last bit of self control he had. He walked after her, without even thinking about it, until they reached the door, where she stood against the frame. She turned back around, looking up at him through her lashes.

And he realized she was still waiting for an answer.

“Do you want it to be?”

He knew he shouldn’t reply to a question with another question, but he wouldn’t be the one to decide. It earned him another eye roll from Betty, but there was still a smile on her face so he didn’t take it too seriously.

Betty stood on her toes to place a short kiss on his lips, not even giving him time to close his eyes and enjoy the moment. When he realized, she was already leaning back against the frame again, blushing, but wearing a smirk on her face that could be interpreted as a challenge.

So, instead of wasting time on more conversation, he took a step forward. The height difference between them seemed like a lot for a moment as he looked down at her. It gave him an overwhelming urge to put his arms around her, so he did.

She wasn’t patient, at least not with him. Her hands were gently tugging at the back of his neck, while she pulled herself up again to reach him.

Betty’s kisses were something he had never tried before. They were sweet and soft, but so demanding at the same time, as if she deserved all of his attention just because she wanted it.

“Can we take this to your bedroom?” she asked with a smirk, her hand on his jaw, pushing him away.

His heart skipped a beat at the soft spoken words. Her eyes were wide open, staring into his and she seemed to be observing his reaction, as if there was still something about him to decode.

Sweet Pea already knew what he had to do, he had been planning it since the night before.

Maybe a little too roughly, his hands reached for the back of her thighs to pick her up, his fingers digging into her ass which felt even better than he had imagined. He was about to apologize but Betty’s mouth was on his again, and her legs were wrapped around him. She didn’t seem to mind. 

As he started making his way, Betty’s lips moved down to his neck, and he desperately tried to focus on going through the doors without hitting anything. Betty’s giggles sending vibrations through his body was the last thing he needed, but he made it.

Of course Betty wouldn’t let him get his way, so she stood on the bed instead of letting him drop her there, and she was standing slightly taller than him. She was still smiling, messing up his hair while she kissed him again. It gave him an opportunity to touch her, to drag his fingers up and down her legs feeling her soft skin, to grab her hips until she moaned into his mouth, but she stopped him when his hands started roaming under the sides of her top. 

She focused suddenly on undoing the straps on her shorts, and he was thankful because he wouldn’t have known where to start. He took his shirt off, quickly pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side, so he could go back to Betty’s chest.

“You’re handsy,” Betty laughed while batting his hands away.

Instead he grabbed her ass again, which she didn’t mind at all, while placing kisses on her collarbone. He was handsy, but it was difficult to go slow when Betty was undressing herself in front of him.

“Get these off,” Sweet Pea ordered, hooking her shorts with his fingers, trying to pull them down and failing.

Betty shook her head, playfully giggling. He obviously saw it as a challenge when one of her hands started travelling down his stomach, sneaking into the front of his jeans and under his underwear, while her teeth nibbled at a sensitive spot under his jaw.

He could play that game too.

Trying to be somewhat careful, but mostly failing, he pushed her away, making her fall down on the bed. She pretended to be mad for a second, but her laughter filled the room as he crawled over her.

“Do it or I’ll find a way,” he commanded in a dark tone.

To his surprise, she obeyed immediately.

It made him feel like his blood was boiling, in a way he had never experienced before.

The heat inside his body only got worse when Betty was finally naked in front of him, and she let his hands roam free as he explored every inch of her body. He learned quickly which were her favorite spots and enjoyed making her roll around the bed, begging to be touched.

He thought he might burst into flames because, as playfully rough as the situation was, it didn’t matter if he was fucking her or not, Betty needed to be touched. It was like she was aching when she didn’t feel his fingers on her skin. She didn’t mind whether it was a tender caress up and down her leg, a steady grasp on her breast holding her in place, or a firm grip on her hair that would guide her whenever he wanted her to go.

He wouldn’t have imagined it, not after seeing how distant she had been with everyone.

Still, when he woke up in the morning, Sweet Pea couldn’t help but count the times he had made her come: four, two of which left her legs shaking while she asked for more. He had to be sure it really happened. He didn’t want to forget anything about that night, in case it never happened again.

“Don’t ask me why, but I’m sure you aren’t a ‘staying for breakfast’ kind of girl,” he commented, rolling on the bed and seeing her already awake, getting the feeling she was gathering herself. 

“Well, I’m not a ‘staying the _night’_ kind of girl”, she snapped back and proceeded to reach to the side of the bed for her clothes.

“You’re already out of your comfort zone, so you understand my need to push you further,” he said and finally got a smile from her, at least for a second.

“I have to head back home before anyone notices I’ve been gone and asks for an explanation,” she justified her actions while putting on her shirt.“ Plus, my sister is visiting with her twins tonight and I have to invite people over. I have to tell Jug and Veronica. God, that’s gonna be weird.”

Suddenly Sweet Pea was forced back into reality. Things happened outside of his bedroom where Betty melted around him.

It reminded him of Betty’s jealousy, something he had buried in his mind. It did take away from the night before, feeling that she might’ve been thinking about someone other than him, that the person she was thinking about might’ve been Jughead.

“Huh, bet it feels weird to have her tag along too. It’s not just Jones and you anymore,” he added, trying to sound casual about it.

“It does,” she replied absently, getting up from the bed, but she moved the conversation right along. “And Polly starts asking questions about what I’m doing with my life, and what my plans are, which really make it fucking terrible.”

He observed from behind her as she pulled her shorts up her legs, and he definitely couldn’t complain about the view. Still, he couldn’t be bothered to get up from the bed, not if she was just going to leave.

“I mean, I would invite you over, I just don’t think you’d want to come,” she suddenly said, turning to him with an expression full of worry. “You already know my mom, and my sister is in a cult, so she’s not really any better. I know the guys can handle them because they’re used to it, but I don’t think you’d enjoy it.”

“That’s fine. I didn’t want an invitation to meet the family, just thought we could have some breakfast and continue last night’s conversation,” he spit out with more anger than he would’ve wanted to.

“That’s kind of hard when you shut down every time we talk about you,” she got back at him with the same intensity, but pulled it off as more casual. “Look, everything is good. Last night was a lot of fun, it was pretty amazing actually. I just have to leave.”

Somehow, the cordial and proper tone of Betty’s very personal aggression made it hit harder. She was so genuine and deadly harsh simultaneously that Sweet Pea was left with a fog inside his head that wouldn’t let him process anything correctly. He searched for words to say, and ended up with nothing, watching her as she walked away.

“There’s grilled cheese in the fridge, if you wanna take something for the way.”

“Oh, I’ll grab one. Thank you!” Betty yelled back, already out of his sight.

 

 

While Veronica and Jughead were busy having dinner at the Cooper’s, he found a perfect window to get drunk at FP’s place where no one would see him. No one but FP, who usually stared quietly at his TV until it was time to help Sweet Pea stumble home.

So Sweet Pea took his spot on the couch and the beer he was offered. And sip after sip after sip, with whatever noise the TV was making occupying his mind, some hours passed in silence and peace.

That was until the room was silent and he was too drunk to walk. But the quiet and calm feeling that used to come over him didn’t arrive. And his mind was suddenly filled with a thousand questions again.

“Ready to go home?” FP asked, starting to clean up the bottles on the coffee table, which were considerably more on Sweet Pea’s side.

“She told me I shut down when we talk about me, but it’s not that, I just don’t have anything to talk about,” Sweet Pea let out, not entirely sure why he was doing it.

“Who did?” FP took a seat again, recognizing his need for a conversation.

“Betty.”

“Oh, so the date did happen,” he noted, surprised.

“Yes, she stayed over, told me it was an amazing night before she left this morning.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t get what the problem is,” FP said after a couple seconds, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

“Do you think she could be jealous?” Sweet Pea questioned but only made the confusion worse. “Of Veronica. Do you think she could still have feelings for Jughead?”

There was a sigh coming from the older man that Sweet Pea heard as he laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He wasn’t ready to go home and be alone with his thoughts at all.

“I mean, I don’t think so! Didn’t she sleep with you last night? Why would you think that?”

“Well, we had this conversation a while ago about Jones following Veronica around since she left, and she didn’t seem too happy about it.”

“If it was a while ago, things could’ve changed,” FP quickly pointed out, but took a moment to think after it. “But anyway, I don’t think so, I never noticed anything like that.”

“How am I supposed to figure out this stuff? Why do I even care?”

“Betty is a nice girl, certainly too good for you, so you’re probably falling for her,” FP explained, short and to the point, without any sugarcoating.

“Pft, thank you,” Sweet Pea replied with a bitter laugh.

“Took me two conversations with Allie to fall in love with her, waited about 6 months to get a date, so you’re already doing better than I was,” FP delivered the lame story with a nostalgic smile on his face.

“Jeez, I’m a failure like you, it’s almost like you raised me,” Sweet Pea told him, defensive and sarcastic.

“Wish I did better, both with you and Jug. But I’m trying my best now, that’s all I can do.”

“This was about _me_ , not you,” Sweet Pea complained, making the old man laugh. “But I guess you’re right, I did take after you for some weird reason”

“You’ll be fine. Listen to her, that’s all you ever need to do,” he suggested. “Oh, and don’t be like me, that’s the best piece of advice I can give you”

They both silently agreed Sweet Pea would sleep on the couch, when FP got up and after ruffling his hair, headed to the bedroom.

Even though it seemed like a condescending gesture to mess with his hair as if he was a child, FP knew him and understood how much comforting Sweet Pea needed, and that was just enough. That place was home, and FP was family, and that was the best thing Sweet Pea could’ve imagined.

There were a million questions he could ask himself to try to explain his loneliness, his relationship with FP, his distant friendships, his disinterest for bettering himself, his low self-worth, his lack of confidence in any decision he made, his low self-control that pushed him to make bad choices, and many more things.

“Am I okay?” seemed to slip out of his mouth, as his drunken eyes were almost closed.

“You’ll be fine when you sober up,” FP replied before disappearing completely.

 

 

“Good morning princess,” Jughead said, amused, walking into his father’s trailer.

Sweet Pea immediately felt the headache coming in strong as he tried to get up from the couch. He also couldn’t help but notice the bag he was carrying which smelled pretty good. FP seemed to already be making coffee in the kitchen, so they were probably trying to force him to get up.

“We got french toast and ice cream for later so you better wake the fuck up,” Veronica told him in a sweet voice as she set the stuff down on the coffee table. “And please, for the love of god, put some pants on.”

“Did you have a good time last night?” Sweet Pea asked, attempting to seem innocent, while he ignored her request and proceeded to eat instead.

“No, god no. The Coopers are still completely insane,” Jughead explained, getting a loud chuckle from his father.

“The twins are cute though,” FP added with a smile on his face.

“You don’t even know their names,” Veronica teased but he didn’t correct her. “It was fine. They’re just a lot to deal with if you’re not a fan of murder mysteries or weird cults. Lucky for them, we are.”

“It’s also fine because thankfully we’re not dating any of them,” Jughead said, in what seemed to be an attempt to annoy FP. “You two are both fucked though.”

“We might’ve heard that the second date was good,” Veronica casually commented, with a smirk on her face, as her boyfriend laughed.

“Boys, it’s a sensitive topic”

“FP, I’m sure you’ve noticed this by now, but I’m a woman,” Veronica pointed out with evident sarcasm.

“As I was saying, boys,” FP addressed the three of them, dismissing her complaint. “There’s a reason we got drunk last night. And by we, I mean he.”

“Did something happen?” Jughead asked, confused.

“Not really,” Sweet Pea started talking when he didn’t have any other option, because everyone’s eyes were on him. “We’re friends, it’s fine, but I don’t think there’s gonna be any more dates.”

“What?!” Veronica quickly asked, alarmed. “What do you mean? I don’t think you two are on the same page.”

“She couldn’t wait to run out the door in the morning. It was awkward to say the least.”  

“She didn’t say anything about running, but it’s Betty, you know that. She won’t make you breakfast and prepare a bath for you. She has places to be and stuff to do,” Jughead explained.

“That’s fine, I just didn’t expect that,” Sweet Pea replied frustrated. “You need to stop worrying, it’s fine, we had fun, we’re friends. Let us handle it.”

But he had no idea how to handle it.

The most concerning thing was definitely the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about that night. From the moment he woke up to the moment he went to sleep, he was thinking about Betty: Betty wearing a pink leather jacket, Betty slowly sipping her beer, Betty putting her hand down his pants, Betty sleeping naked in his bed.

He thought about texting her, asking how she was doing, how things were going, showing up at her place with snacks and getting her to talk. He also thought about he shouldn’t do any of those things.

 

 

The Whyte Wyrm had been doing pretty well recently, which meant both that he was getting more tips than usual, and Veronica had been in a good mood.

The second thing was the most important, considering he had refused to text Betty, no matter how many times the brunette demanded it. If everything wasn’t going so well, he wouldn’t have known how to avoid it, but with the bar so full of people it had been easy to distract her.

“You’re mad at me.”

Sweet Pea had just finished his shift and taken a seat alone in a booth when he heard Betty behind him. Slowly, he moved to the side to make some room next to him, and he noticed Veronica on the other side of the crowd, pretending to talk to Jughead while she stared at them.

“I’m not,” Sweet Pea offered back lamely.

And it wasn’t a lie, not completely. He wasn’t happy about how things were going, but he had nothing to be mad at her about. If anything, the anger would’ve been directed towards himself.

She took the place he offered, sitting with him, but still holding a defensive posture, as if she was ready to run at any moment. He noticed she seemed to have a tendency to run as much as he did.

“So, what is it? I had fun,” she said quietly, probably feeling a little bit self conscious.

“I did too. Do you wanna come over again tonight?” Sweet Pea asked in what he could only describe as the most evident lack of self control he had ever experienced.

“No,” she quickly let out and then frowned. “I mean, yes I do, but that isn’t why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here?”

It seemed stupid to ask the question, but there was nothing else for him to do. If he was being honest, the answer didn’t even matter, he just hoped that Betty would want to go home with him when the night was over.

He also hoped that in between the kissing, and her running out in the morning, he could squeeze in some questions. He wouldn’t ask about anyone else, he wouldn’t make that mistake again. He just wanted to learn everything about her, anything she was willing to tell him, and sure, he would be happier about it if she was naked in his bed at the time

“I’m apologizing for leaving so soon the other day,” she said, followed by a sigh. “I know you didn’t like that and I know it was rude of me.”

He suddenly felt her hand on his leg, not getting into any dangerous territory, but she definitely knew what she was doing, making sure he noticed it. There was a brief moment when he looked her in the eyes and forgot about the conversation they were having and anything she had said, he just wanted to put her on his bike and take her home.

But then Veronica and Jughead joined them in the booth.

“How did you know?” Sweet Pea asked in a spontaneous decision, but she seemed like she was already passed it and was confused. “How did you know I didn’t like that?”

“Well, Juggie and I were having lunch the other day and he mentioned that maybe that wasn’t great.”

There was something he couldn’t explain, a fire that was suddenly burning inside of him when he heard her call him ‘Juggie’. He didn’t even want to think about the two of them talking about it alone.

And he didn’t think he had any right to decide what she could and couldn’t do; it wasn’t that. But he was sure that for Betty, that couldn’t have been an easy conversation to have with Jughead.

Sweet Pea had no idea how to deal with it anymore. Maybe he should stop worrying about that, because Betty was still touching his leg, and she had already agreed to go home with him.

“It wasn’t so great, that’s true. But it’s fine. I’m willing to let it go,” Sweet Pea told Betty in a serious tone, and raised an eyebrow to make sure she didn’t take it too seriously.

She laughed, her fingers suddenly putting some pressure on his leg, and laid her forehead on his shoulder for a moment. That felt good enough for him.

“Oh, so you’re over it that quick?” Veronica asked, amused. “No punishment or spanking? Very forgiving of you.”

“You don’t know that, we might, later,” Sweet Pea replied, used to this usual banter with Veronica, and he snickered when her eyes lit up.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Jughead complained “As much as Veronica would like to stay and watch that, we have plans tonight. We’re telling my dad about the new place.”

“Make sure he doesn’t kill himself,” Sweet Pea joked, although he knew FP would at least cry for sure.

“He won’t, he still has another kid around to annoy and you won’t leave any time soon,” Jughead got back at him before they got up to leave.

Sweet Pea assumed they had talked to Betty about them moving, because she didn’t seem to react to that all, she was still sitting way too close to him and didn’t pay attention to anything else.

If he was going to ever believe Betty was interested in him, he had to start somewhere. And it seemed like a good moment.

FP had offered his office upstairs to Sweet Pea a couple times, usually for napping or just getting some quiet alone time. He had a key and everything, so he figured that was a good time to take him up on his offer.

“Get up,” he whispered into Betty’s ear.

When she quickly obeyed, he was reminded of how she had behaved their last time together, how she responded to his serious tone, and it made him want to get into that office even faster.

He took her hand and guided her up the stairs in complete silence until they reached the door and he locked it, making sure no one would bother them.

Betty pressed against him as soon as he turned around, kissing him as if her life depended on it, her hands on his cheeks keeping him close to her. She seemed hungry for him in a way she hadn’t before, demanding in a more explicit way, as if he had done something to provoke her.

“Couldn’t wait until we got to your place?” she asked amused when he moved down to place small kisses on her neck.

“I could’ve, just didn’t want to,” he replied, trying to sound rebellious.

To his disappointment, she suddenly pulled away. He stood still, partly out of sheer shock, but also because he noticed one of her hands on his shoulder, keeping him from moving, so he figured that was what she wanted. However she didn’t look angry, or upset, if anything she looked focused.

Standing on the same spot, she carefully brought her hands up her skirt, and when they came back down again, she was sliding down her underwear with them. One foot after the other, and with a hand on his shoulder for support, she stood out of them and kicked it to the side.

His excitement turned into confusion when she walked away from him, towards the desk without a word.

“So, did you mean what you told Veronica?” Betty asked, standing to the side of the desk.

“What did I tell her?” Sweet Pea wondered confused, distracted by how she was slightly pulling up her skirt.

“She asked if you’d spank me, and you said maybe you would,” she explained, but he didn’t seem to be able to say anything and her face suddenly turned red. “I don’t mean to scare you, you can say no. I just, you were really great the other day, pushing me around, and I’ve wanted to try this for a while, so when you said maybe I just thought –”

“When you say you’ve been thinking about it, do you mean for a while, or like, this week?” he interrupted.

“Well, for a while,” she started, blushing even more. “But, this week, I’ve been thinking about you doing it.”

He couldn’t say he hadn’t done it before, but it probably wasn’t the right time to bring that up. It wasn’t that he was scared, it was mostly that he didn’t expect it, not from her and not so soon.

However, she seemed to be pretty confident about it. She seemed to be sure about what she wanted. And he wasn’t going to lie, he was already excited about the idea.

“Okay,” he said after a couple seconds of silence, and walked towards Betty to reach for her and kiss her once more. “We can try it, but are you sure?”

“Yes,” she assured him, leaning into his embrace. “We can start out slow if you’re worried about me. Plus, I would feel less guilty about what I did, if I was punished for it.”

Those last words, whispered into his neck, sent a wave of electricity down his spine. He could tell it wasn’t the first time she was doing something like that, and it was a relief.

She got out of his arms, eager to get started, and leaned over the desk. Sweet Pea stood behind her, softly dragging his fingers up her leg and the curve of her ass, lifting her skirt. He took a step to the side, and reached up for her hair, tugging at it to bring her up into another kiss.

Maybe he was more nervous about it than she was.

He kept a firm grasp on her hair, she seemed to enjoy that, while his other hand delivered the first slap. Betty only let out a little bit of air and her chest seemed to jump, but there was a smirk on her face again after a second, while he made sure to caress the skin.

“Was that good?” he asked seriously, making sure everything was okay.

“That was nothing,” she teased him, knowing he would fall into it.

Sweet Pea delivered another slap, a harder one. Her entire body jumped then, and a short whimper escaped her lips. That was more like the reaction he was expecting. He went for another one, on the same spot, and she started giggling.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” He wasn’t able to keep a straight face, considering her ridiculous reaction.

“More, please,” she quickly requested.

He found a new spot on the other side, after he saw the skin starting to turn red. Turning up the intensity a bit, he hit it, forcing a soft moan out of her. He leaned down to kiss her again, biting her lower lip, when he noticed one of her hands trying to find a way into his pants. She failed, desperately touching whatever she could instead.

“Not yet,” he told her, moving her hand away. “One more, we have to make it even.”

Hurrying to get it done, he slapped her ass again and she didn’t even try to hide her whiny complaint. He immediately let go of her, making it clear that it was done, and took one step away to give her a minute to breathe.

She made her way back to him, burying herself in his chest, and he quickly wrapped his arms around her. Betty’s fingers were tugging at his shirt as she made herself comfortable, and he could feel her breath getting steadier every second. He let his chin rest on the top of her head, leaning into the nice moment.

“Can we go to your place now?” she asked after a while, sounding calm and collected.

“Yes,” Sweet Pea replied. “Was that okay though?”

“That was very good,” she said, looking at him directly. “I’d just rather continue this in your bed, you know”

 

 

“Didn’t think you’d be a Doritos kinda girl,” Sweet Pea commented as she grabbed a bag to place it on their cart.

He knew he had been the luckiest man in town, getting an entire weekend to hang out with Betty, at his own place. But it was Sunday afternoon and the fun would have to end soon, so a trip to the grocery store to prepare for a great finale seemed appropriate. That, and they had run out of condoms.

She was wearing a lavender dress, the fabric flowing as she turned around to grab whatever she could. Betty Cooper really liked unhealthy snacks; that was something he didn’t know before.

“So you’ve spent three days at my place now,” he started, distracting her from her shopping. “Would you say you owe me one?”

“I told you, I’d love to, but my knees seriously need some rest. I can’t just–”

“Betty. Shush. No,” he interrupted. “Just one question”

“Oh, okay. Yes, sure, that’s easier,” she replied relieved, giving him her full attention.

“I can understand why you felt the need to leave the town, that was a smart decision. I can’t figure out why you cut off Veronica, and everyone else with her.”

The question had barely left his lips and he already regretted it. There was something in Betty’s eyes, she really didn’t like talking about it. Yet, he couldn’t help it. It was like he was missing several pieces, the most important ones, the ones that explained how she had gotten to that point.

But she was silent. Usually when she didn’t want to respond, she’d dismiss the topic fast, give a simple answer and move on. She hadn’t done that.

“I didn’t plan on coming back,” she started, playing with a box of cereal.

Sweet Pea decided on staying quiet, letting her take her time so she could work out what she wanted to say.

“Maybe it was selfish of me, but I didn’t want to take anything from here with me. And I thought they would be better off with a clean break. If the distance gets in the way, and it just happens slowly, it’s a lot more painful,” she explained, putting the cereal box back on the shelf.

“But you did come back. And when you did, even now, you still seem mad at them for some reason,” he pointed out but she didn’t answer. “I’m gonna go ahead and ask, because we don’t need to waste anyone’s time. Do you have feelings for Jughead?”

The question felt wrong. Intrusive, weird, impolite. Not that he minded, they would have to get to it sooner rather than later. It still felt wrong.

It took him a little bit to realize that the silence that followed wasn’t a reaction to the question, but her completely shutting off when her mom appeared behind him, walking up to them with a bright smile on her face.

Almost didn’t look like she’d been at the Wyrm the night before, but they knew better.

“Thought you were with Jughead and Veronica,” Alice let out, something venomous in her eyes when she looked at him.

“Yeah, we were,” Betty quickly replied, blatantly lying. “Did you have fun last night? Polly told me you went out.”

“I did, just a small outing with friends,” her mom lied back, as if there was some type of fight going on that only the two of them knew about.

“You know Sweet Pea,” Betty pointed at him after a couple seconds of silence.

“I do. Good to see you. Make sure to say hi to FP Jones for me, hope he’s doing okay.”Alice faked a polite smile, pretending they hadn’t seen each other at the Wyrm too many times during the week before.

“I will, Mrs. Cooper,” Sweet Pea played into it, with a cordial nod that felt unnatural, and he hoped it looked fake.

Alice walked away pretending it was nothing, pretending the entire conversation hadn’t been a big lie. He had to admit, she would’ve made an excellent actress, or maybe even a politian.

And that left him alone again with Betty, with the question he had asked, and the air between them that felt like a barrier.

“Okay. So you’re the one who makes out with Jughead and then you have the nerve to ask me if I have feelings for him?”

“Wow. Veronica was obviously chatty enough to tell you about that, but you two can’t talk about what happened while you were gone?”

“I don’t wanna know what happened while I was gone,” Betty snapped, frustrated. “I left my friends behind, it was sad, I don’t wanna know details, I don’t need details.”

“So it has nothing to do with Jughead and Veronica getting together?”

“It has everything to do with them getting together,” she finally let out. “I don’t know, I didn’t expect this to happen. I thought I would come back and everything would be back to normal. But it isn’t, because now my best friends who couldn’t stand each other are dating. And I can’t get used to it.”

“And it bothers you, Jughead being with someone else,” he tried to confirm his suspicions.

“No. But it’s weird that they can’t spend a second without each other. It’s weird that they are moving in together, without me, and they have their own thing. It’s weird that FP now makes late night snacks for Veronica, when that used to be our thing. It’s weird that my mom is back hanging out in the Southside. It’s weird that of all people, I’m here hanging out with you.”

Sweet Pea looked down at the cart. Maybe the question was a bad choice. He could still put back half the stuff and make an exit that wasn’t as pathetic.

“It’s weird and it takes me time to completely understand it, you know. You seem like you adapt better than I do,” she observed. “These are good things, I just have trouble putting my mind to rest.”

“I mean, would it be less weird for you to be hanging out with someone else? I’m fine, I can adapt,” he teased with a hint of bitterness, still giving some room for a real answer.

“No. I want to pay for this stuff and go to your place already,” she asserted, looking him in the eyes for the first time in a while. “And no, I don’t have any feelings for anyone else.”

For a second, he wanted to ask. He was dying to ask. He decided against it, since things weren’t going great for him in that area.

She gave him enough room to reach whatever conclusion he wanted, and he was thankful. If she was still standing there with him, there had to be a reason.

He was quiet on the bike, focusing on the road and her hands around his waist. The air hitting his face giving him a sense of reality and grounding him in a way he definitely needed. However, he was a bit distracted by the fact that it was getting late and her lavender dress looked beautiful in the sunset.

“Are you okay?” Betty asked as they both reached his door. “You’ve been thinking I was using you this entire time and you let it happen. I just want to know if you’re okay, because you deserve to feel better than that.”

They dropped their bags on the floor as soon as they crossed the threshold because Sweet Pea wasn’t losing any time. He was kissing her furiously, from her lips, down her neck, to her collarbones and back up again, until she was moaning and her knees were giving up.

He quickly pulled the dress over her head. Although Betty in her underwear was something he had seen a lot of, it still wasn’t something he was used to. It was a pale shade of pink with white dots, and it would give her an innocent vibe if she wasn’t already trying to undo his pants.

“What do you say we slow down? I thought you were tired,” Sweet Pea suggested in between laughs.

“I thought I was, but then you brought up the jealousy thing and, not gonna lie, it worked for me,” she explained with a grin, walking further into the kitchen and taking off her shoes.

“Oh, so you think it’s funny?” he asked, standing in the same spot, trying to act as offended as he could while Betty walked around his trailer almost naked, which wasn’t easy.

“No!” she added quickly, hurrying over to where he was with a smile on her face. “I think it’s really hot.”

He rolled his eyes at her, hoping to make his frustration clear. It still didn’t stop her from unbuttoning his pants.

“Thought your knees needed a break,” he finally broke, amused when the girl went down.

“Well, I can rest tomorrow.”

She pulled his pants down along with his underwear and he heard the familiar breathy giggle. It felt like the entire weekend had been some sort of training for that moment, where she was testing everything she had learned.

Because she didn’t stop until he had lost every drop of self-control he had and was thrusting into her mouth - in fact, it seemed like that was exactly what she wanted.

“Let’s take the snacks to the bedroom,” she proposed as she got back up, her lips a bit swollen and red.

Betty grabbed a bag on her way there, running in before him. As she passed him, he couldn’t help it, one of his hands quickly reached to smack her ass, making her jump in surprise.

But when he caught up with her, he was nothing but soft and gentle, pushing her by the waist onto the bed. Her skin was soft under his fingers as he reached to take off what little clothing she was still wearing.

He thought she was pulling at his shirt to take it off, but instead she threw him on the bed with a strength she hadn’t used on him before. She climbed over him, straddling his hips and finding the right position.

She slowly moved down, bringing all of him inside her. It was very overwhelming every time, not only the feeling of being inside her, but the way she looked, her eyes closing and her mouth falling open in a way she couldn’t control.

Then there was also the way her hips starting moving, almost involuntarily, before she came back to reality to smile down at him. He immediately had to reach for her, dragging her closer by the back of her neck, desperate to kiss her.

“You’re weak,” she teased.

He buried his head in her chest, placing kisses everywhere he could reach, and time seemed to go too fast until she was crying out, before he realized he was coming while she whispered into his ear.

It was something he could’ve never imagined.

Not just the fact that it was her, but the fact that he would just want to stay in bed with her all the time, like nothing else even mattered to him.

But then the sun would come up and they both would have to leave. And god, there was nothing he hated more.

 

 

Sweet Pea’s birthday rolled around and Betty struggled to get him out of bed and into FP’s trailer which was only a couple steps away.

She showed him the yellow dress she was wearing specifically for him, with a deep cut in the back and some flowers on the fabric. And she added his jacket on top before going out, saying it was chilly, but she knew exactly what it did to him.

“When do you want the presents?” Veronica asked as soon as they walked in, knowing very well she wouldn't listen to his answer anyway.

“I didn’t want presents at all. But you knew that already,” Sweet Pea answered, letting out a sigh as he sat down on the couch.

“Yes. So, when do you want them? Before or after dinner?” she insisted with a sugary sweet smile plastered on her face.

It was always like that, all of them trying to make him the center of attention and shower him with compliments and presents. It didn’t seem bad as a concept, but then everyone would expect him to be in the mood to celebrate, which he couldn’t do without at least a dozen beer, but he had discovered a couple years before that apparently being blackout drunk on your birthday was frowned upon.

“I’m gonna need something stronger than that,” he told FP after being handed a beer, and the old man laughed and obeyed.

“We can just watch a movie, no pressure,” Jughead offered, the only one who actually had his back for once.

After FP handled him a glass, they all settled on the couches around the coffee table covered with snacks, so that they could spend the next couple hours arguing about what to watch and end up watching nothing.

Veronica and Jughead decided to clean up the dishes, after FP had dozed off on the chair. The festivities, if anyone would even call them that, were clearly over and it was a relief to know he would be in his bed again soon.

“Hey,” Betty called his attention before sitting on his lap, which was good, but he wanted to get up and leave more than anything.

Instead, she placed her hands on his cheeks, softly bringing him closer for a kiss. Right there, in front of everyone.

And sure, it wasn’t exactly a secret for any of them, but he didn’t think they were there yet.

“You taste like whiskey,” she pointed out, running a finger along his jaw.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s what I’ve been drinking,” he replied, completely dumbfounded by the look of adoration in her face.

“I like it,” she added before kissing him again.

 

 

Betty was wearing all black again, dark jeans and a black top, with his jacket over it. And when they pulled over at the Wyrm, she quickly got off the bike and stood outside.

“I got some Doritos for you, don’t tell Veronica, she doesn’t like it when I sneak in food,” he told her, walking over, but noticed she seemed lost.

“No, thank you.”

That’s when he knew something bad was about to happen.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. I got a job in Chicago.”

He really was stupid, Sweet Pea thought. It had been really stupid of him to buy Doritos for her. It had been also really stupid to ask her on that second date.

“I’m sorry, Sweets. I hope you don’t hate me but–”

“I don’t,” he interrupted. “I mean, it’s fine. I’m assuming it’s a good job, you have to go.”

“Yeah. It is really good”, she confirmed “but with the stuff between us, I feel bad about it”

“You’ll get over it,” he said quickly before she could go on. “You didn’t plan on coming back the first time, so I’m guessing you have the same idea this time. Hopefully it will go how you want it to.”

“Sweets, I’m really sorry,” she said again, raising a hand to touch his cheek.

Instead he moved to go inside the bar.

And instead of talking about it, they drank all night.

She didn’t tell anyone else, not until right before they all left. He could see why, watching as Veronica cried her eyes out.

It was particularly painful then. Sweet Pea was fine pushing down whatever he was feeling, but when Veronica buried her face in his chest while her boyfriend drove Betty home - that wasn’t easy to handle.

Still he was thankful Betty had understood neither of them needed a cheesy breakup scene. Really because there was nothing to break up.

“Are you okay?” FP asked before they parted ways.

He didn’t bother replying, he didn’t waste energy thinking of something to say.

Sweet Pea walked into his bedroom and fell down on the bed, knowing sleeping with his clothes on wasn’t a good choice, and refusing to do anything about it.

 

 

He had only slept 3 hours. Because he remembered Betty mentioning she was leaving by eight when they were all making plans to go say goodbye. He didn’t think he would go, but when he woke up there was nothing else he wanted to do more.

And it was lame. It was cheesy. It was just sad.

But Betty was leaving, he didn’t know for how long, maybe forever. And he couldn’t live with the fact that he wouldn’t kiss her again.

“Didn’t think you’d show up,” FP said as an agitated Sweet Pea walked into the Cooper house.

He noticed Alice pressed to his side, crying on his shoulder. Something he had never seen before, not so openly. It looked ridiculous, they were so different.

Maybe that was how people felt when they saw him with Betty.

But Alice looked comfortable still, she looked like she belonged there, like there wasn’t anywhere else she’d rather be.

“Don’t leave,” he told Betty, walking into her room.

His instinct had gotten hold of him and he immediately regretted it, especially when Veronica, who was sitting right there on her bed, laughed at him.

“O- _kay_ , we’ll stay right here,” Jughead offered in a teasing tone.

“I didn’t mean that. _You_ should leave,” he gestured to Jughead and Veronica, before turning to Betty. “But I don’t want you to leave,” he explained nervously, moving closer to her as Veronica forced Jughead out into the hall, closing the door behind them

“You said it was fine, that we’d be over it,” Betty reminded him of his lie, clearly a mistake.

“I said you’d be over it. I won’t,” he explained, his hands holding her by the waist to pull her closer, a small smile growing over her face.

“Come with me,” Betty quickly offered, leaving him speechless. “Not forever just- For now, for a while. Take it as like, a vacation. You can come back if you want.”

“Well, I have a job,” he tried to argue.

“You know Veronica won’t care. Come on. You can get a job there and we’ll manage. We can come back and visit soon,” she insisted.

“Or I could stay here. And you could come visit soon.”

The look of hurt on her face was something he never wanted to see, but he had caused it and he’d have to deal with it.

“Betty, I love you but I can’t leave everything and move across the country just to follow you, you don’t even want that.”

“I love you too,” she replied quietly, making him realize what he had said. “And you’re right.”

She finally admitted it and he was relieved they weren’t making a huge impulse decision that they couldn’t take back. He almost didn’t recognize himself; he used to be all about impulse decisions and ruining everything. Cheesy as it was, maybe being with Betty actually made him a better person.

“You’ll go and get your job, and we’ll see each other soon, because you won’t cut ties with everyone. You will call, you will text, you’ll stay in touch,” he said, and though it was mostly for him, it was also for Veronica.

By then it was around eight and Alice was waiting outside to take her to the airport.

Sweet Pea was filled with adrenaline as they kissed again, holding each other as close as they could while he tried to whisper nice things to her, trying to stop her crying. She took his hand to walk downstairs but stopped at the door.

“Your jacket,” she said as she handed it to him, and he saw the tears continuing to fall down her face, even though she tried to wipe them away and put on a smile.

“Keep it. I’ll say it’s been stolen and get a new one or something.”

She stopped crying and settled for quiet sniffling, so he thought maybe that helped. He still walked her to the car and closed the door for her, after he struggled to let go of her hand.

Betty was gone, just like that. Gone and no one knew for how long, or how it would work this time around.

“So, you know how I never gave you your birthday gift?” Veronica asked once they got back to the trailer park, and he _did_ think it was a bit odd that she hadn’t showered him in presents despite his annoyed protests as usual.

“I didn’t let you give it to me.”

“Yeah. So, anyway, forget about that. We always talk about going on a vacation together, so I got us tickets to go see Betty next month,” she announced, sticking her hand in her pocket and pulling an envelope out. “This one’s yours.”

Although he was never thrilled about presents, he took it. Because it was to see Betty.

And on his silent walk home, then in his time alone sitting on his couch, he thought maybe it could work out. He had no idea how, or what the situation would be like, but he just felt something.

“Turning off my phone for the flight. I’ll talk to you when I get there,” Betty texted him.

It was already good to know she wasn’t cutting herself off again, he thought as he got in bed for a much needed early nap.

“I love you,” she added a few seconds later.


End file.
